A new study conducted by the University of Florida and University College London reveals a more than 40% decline in daily reading for pleasure among Americans over the past two decades. In 2023, only 16 percent of Americans aged 15 and older reported reading for leisure every day. This trend highlights a steady decrease in recreational reading across the United States. The study's findings coincide with concerns about declining attention spans. Meanwhile, education reforms in Mississippi, including phonics instruction, literacy coaching, and retention policies for third graders struggling with reading, have helped the state improve its 4th-grade reading scores from 49th to a top 10 national ranking over the past decade, demonstrating that targeted interventions can yield progress in literacy.